Will I need to wear glasses after LASIK?

Will I need to wear glasses after LASIK?

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Discussion

pattypie

Original Poster:

1 posts

46 months

Tuesday 10th November 2020
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I'm short-sighted since my teenage. I use to wear glasses when I was in school and when I started university, I started using the contact lens that I used to change every month. When I started working, I started using daily disposable ones. Recently I started getting headaches and dry eye followed by itchiness of eyes. Many friends recommended going for laser vision correction surgery. So I'm thinking of taking the plunge! I met up with my ophthalmologist, and he too had the same opinion. But I'm still worried whether I'll need reading glasses after LASIK? One of my friends said she'd to wear reading glasses after surgery, so I'm a little nervous.

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sparkyhx

4,185 posts

209 months

Thursday 12th November 2020
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its not 100% guaranteed, so yes you may but I belive these days its much less likely.

Also as you get older your eyeballs can shrink, which can have the effect of reversing shortsightedness, so even longer term that may need correcting with glasses.

LeoSayer

7,363 posts

249 months

Thursday 12th November 2020
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From what little I know it's very specific to the individual based on your prescription and age.

The only right answer is for you to go for a consultation with one or more provider and ask them that question.

Funk

26,498 posts

214 months

Thursday 12th November 2020
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The ads are getting sneakier.

Armitage.Shanks

2,371 posts

90 months

Thursday 12th November 2020
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I think the only way to avoid glasses for reading and/or distance permanently is to undergo Refractlive Lens Exchange where the eye gets a 'new' lens.

Not cheap and benefits those later in life (c50 onwards) who start to require reading glasses. I know a few that have had this procedure and they describe it as miraculous. I'll likely go down this route as laser eye treatment won't 'fix' both near and long sight.

Smoggy XJR

552 posts

75 months

Thursday 12th November 2020
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Also, do you have astigmatism? I have had both lenses replaced due to cataracts but still need glasses.

mike9009

7,446 posts

248 months

Saturday 14th November 2020
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My wife had LASIK about 5 years ago, aged 40 after wearing glasses due to short sightedness for 20 years. She still doesn't need to wear glasses.

I have had double cataracts operation after being highly short sighted and now don't wear glasses for distance. Still wear them for close up work - an inevitability of getting old....

Partyvan

464 posts

135 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
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I had LASEK (not LASIK) 2 years ago along with Wavefront and can summarise;

- Day vision is slightly better (can just about drive without glasses)
- Night vision is vastly better
- It hurt like hell for a week afterwards (I needed morphine)
- My eyes were dry for a year, every morning they were "stuck" shut
- I wouldn't do it again

jimmydash

281 posts

126 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
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I had both eyes lasered in 1999 (age 43) as I didn't want to play golf wearing glasses. I knew I'd need to use reading glasses after as the consutant told me I would. There was a little discomfort for a week, a slight over-sensitivity for maybe 6 months which was easily ignored. I bought a few pairs of ready readers and left them everywhere I might need to read; car, conservatory, kitchen etc.. Now in 2020 my long vision is still brilliant (can clearly see my golf ball disappearing into the bushes over 200yds away!) and my reading prescription hasn't chaned either -1.5. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the treatment to my children should they consider it.

Mr MXT

7,705 posts

288 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
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Partyvan said:
I had LASEK (not LASIK) 2 years ago along with Wavefront and can summarise;

- Day vision is slightly better (can just about drive without glasses)
- Night vision is vastly better
- It hurt like hell for a week afterwards (I needed morphine)
- My eyes were dry for a year, every morning they were "stuck" shut
- I wouldn't do it again
Interesting, I had IOL followed by LASEK and my night vision is quite poor, but managed with drops.

I went from -16 to not needing glasses, would do again! Agree on the pain though, LASEK recovery certainly smarted.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

266 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
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Armitage.Shanks said:
I think the only way to avoid glasses for reading and/or distance permanently is to undergo Refractlive Lens Exchange where the eye gets a 'new' lens.

Not cheap and benefits those later in life (c50 onwards) who start to require reading glasses. I know a few that have had this procedure and they describe it as miraculous. I'll likely go down this route as laser eye treatment won't 'fix' both near and long sight.
You can't be near and long sighted in the same eye. What happens with age is that the focusing range becomes smaller at the near end. So correcting short sight, which is basically moving the focusing range further out can mean you need reading glasses when you didn't before. I was speaking to someone last year who was in her late 50s who had laser treatment to fix one eye to nominally normal vision but the other eye to a carefully calculated slight shortsightedness. So she can both read and see distance without glasses. The was a suggestion that the laser treatment somehow enhances depth of field (no idea how) so it's possible to get good reading and almost 20/20 distance vision in the same eye.

When I say she doesn't need glasses, she's an airline pilot and can pass her medical without glasses.

hepy

1,315 posts

145 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
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I had mine done nearly 20 years ago. Would recommend it.

My sight has gone slightly worse over the last 5 years, and I sometimes wear glasses for driving.

Night visions did go slightly worse after the procedure, but I rarely drive at night, so it doesn't bother me.

jontymo

810 posts

155 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
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Had mine done over 12 years ago in my late 30's, starting wearing glasses for reading in the last 6 months aged 51. Totally no regrets with the freedom it gave me over the last 10 years.

anonymous-user

59 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
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I had mine done 21 years ago best money ever spent.
TPRK on 1 eye (old fashioned j think) slight over correction.
Lasik in 1 eye. Slight under correction so it all balances out.

Just started wearing glasses for reading now and tbh I got Variofocals and the distance is a bit better now as well.

Armitage.Shanks

2,371 posts

90 months

Sunday 15th November 2020
quotequote all
Dr Jekyll said:
Armitage.Shanks said:
I think the only way to avoid glasses for reading and/or distance permanently is to undergo Refractlive Lens Exchange where the eye gets a 'new' lens.

Not cheap and benefits those later in life (c50 onwards) who start to require reading glasses. I know a few that have had this procedure and they describe it as miraculous. I'll likely go down this route as laser eye treatment won't 'fix' both near and long sight.
You can't be near and long sighted in the same eye. What happens with age is that the focusing range becomes smaller at the near end. So correcting short sight, which is basically moving the focusing range further out can mean you need reading glasses when you didn't before. I was speaking to someone last year who was in her late 50s who had laser treatment to fix one eye to nominally normal vision but the other eye to a carefully calculated slight shortsightedness. So she can both read and see distance without glasses. The was a suggestion that the laser treatment somehow enhances depth of field (no idea how) so it's possible to get good reading and almost 20/20 distance vision in the same eye.

When I say she doesn't need glasses, she's an airline pilot and can pass her medical without glasses.
Ah yes, think you are correct. One eye is corrected to counterbalance the below standard of the other. Both my pals in their late 50s had this and something to do with the brain correcting the joint image in both eyes?